Stony Brook researchers license anti-hacking product

A new technology developed by Stony Brook University researchers to prevent network hacking was licensed to Stony Brook-based Qunnect for commercialization.

A research team in the university’s department of physics and astronomy developed the technology, which uses quantum memory applications to securely store and transfer information.

There has been a lot of interest in quantum information technology because of its potential for enhancing cybersecurity.

The Stony Brook research team, led by Professor Eden Figueroa, has been working to develop devices known as quantum amplifiers, which enable transmission of information carried in photons over greater distances. Figueroa has been developing the technology over the last five years with colleagues and graduate students, with support from three grants from the National Science Foundation totaling about $1 million.

Qunnect, which is part of the Stony Brook Incubator Program and will be housed in the university’s Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology beginning Nov. 1, expects to have the product ready for sale by fall 2019, according to co-founder Mehdi Namazi, a former Stony Brook University doctoral student who helped Figueroa develop the technology.

“We are currently targeting to enter the market for larger scale quantum-secured communication networks by 2021,” Namazi said.

The company is actively applying for grants from the National Science Foundation and Department of Energy, among other organizations.